"What the hell?"

Komet stares at Zanmetsumon in shock, who all of a sudden became an Infected. Then she shifts her attention to the commotion in the VIP room. Prince Mamemon flails his arms and runs away, two Bishop Chessmon block the way of a lot of Digimon, and a Lekismon jumps over both guards to go after the prince, but not before looking in their direction first.

"Lua!"

The lass shifts her attention back to the Infected. The creature swings his sword uncontrollably. "I WILL not lose! I will not LOSE!"

She grits her teeth. "Sonne, I call Lua to see how it's going. I'm not sure if things are going her way. Keep on defensive for now, and please, definitely don't get stabbed now, or-"

"I am aware. Hold tight" he says. He grabs Komet and places her on his back under his long mane.

She wraps her arms around his thick neck and feels the warmth of his body. With some difficulty due to her current position, she calls Lua from her smartwatch. The bunny answers immediately.

"Komet! I finally get to hear from you again, yay! I swear I didn't cry that much, I knew you were alive after all! Now, hear me out. The Infected you are facing right now, I'm pretty sure the asshole prince infected it by himself! He shot at your opponent with a crossbow loaded with something weird, and then it suddenly became an Infected. But he actually wanted to hit bigger puss, and thanks to me, he missed"

"Wait, huh?"

Sonne growls

"Are you saying… Prince Mamemon has a weapon loaded with the Corrosion Virus?" she continues

"I know, this is insane! I'm going after him now, but that pest runs too fast!"

She grunts in anger. "I wouldn't mind if, uh, he is put to sleep forever, but whatever happens, we need him alive to ask some questions first. Be very careful, okay? He is an Ultimate after all!"

"Understood!"

"After we are done here, we will go after you. Good luck!"

When she ends the call, the floor starts shaking. She grips tighter on Sonne's neck to not fall. She lifts Sonne's mane and sees Zanmetsumon uncontrollably attacking the colosseum with slash waves. The crowd starts screaming in panic, and in a very disorganized way, they try to leave the arena. The draconic centaur looks up and growls.

"I will not LOSE! And YOU ALL will watch me WINNING! Gokumon-Shibari!"

It lets out a huge roar from the mouth on its torso. It rotates itself around, so the wave from the roar hits as many Digimon as possible. Every Digimon from lower level than Zanmetsumon - which is the majority of the crowd - completely stops moving from paralysis, while the ones in the same or higher levels resist it for longer before becoming paralysed.

"It seems that Digimon is still partially conscious despite the infection, and I can't tell if this is good or bad…" says Komet

Zanmetsumon faces them, foaming like a rabid dog. "You. Will. DIE!"

She jumps off Sonne and grabs her cleaver. "Well, you know what we must do"

The Flaremon nods. "Let us begin"

Lua keeps pursuing Prince Mamemon, who somehow is extremely fast.

"Go away! I'm not interested in you!" screams the prince

"Aren't you the high and mighty prince? Why don't you face me?"

"Have you never played chess before? The ruler needs to be protected at all costs!"

Lua growls in annoyance. "As far as I know, there's no prince in chess! Ice Tear!"

The prince screams while dodging the ice stakes. Lua shoots again, but suddenly a Knight Chessmon appears and shields the prince. "Your Highness! I'm here to protect you with my life! I also brought your pets. Get her, Fangmon!"

She looks around and sees five slender red wolves surrounding her. They all maliciously grin at her, displaying their sharp teeth. Prince Mamemon clumsily climbs the knight, feeling relieved. He thanks the knight, who turns around, getting ready to leave.

"Mercy Basket!"

Everyone in the room hears shots from a gatling gun, and then Knight Chessmon tumbles, exploding into bits of data before completely falling. That causes the prince to roll on the floor.

"I'm sorry for that, but I'm tired of letting you get away with your bullshit!" says Chaperomon, appearing from the corridor with some Tyumon, displaying her gun half out of the basket.

He looks disgusted while keeping his smile. "Oh, it's you again"

"Yeah, it's me again! I'm gonna end your tyranny today!"

"Oh, yeah? And then what? Become the ugliest ruler in the world whom no one will ever respect or love? Every time I see you, I feel like puking! You're so annoying and so ugly that having your face mauled by a wolf would only make you look nicer!"

"Take those words back now!" she says, getting het basket ready

"Smiley Warhead!"

Prince Mamemon headbutts Chaperomon, causing her basket to be launched away from her. Then the Fangmon quickly surround her too, slowly closing in on both girls.

"So, did you find a nice soulmate? No, right? Because no one would ever, EVER, dare to love someone as hideous as you, a monster who dwells in the sewers and walks around with filthy rats! You will never get the 'happily ever after' you dream so much, you trashy doll!"

Chaperomon clenches her knuckles and starts to shake.

He maliciously grins. "The only way for you to get your happy ending is if you go k-"

"Why don't you go fuck yourself?" yells Lua. "Who cares about her beauty? She has a big heart, something that doesn't exist in you! She cares about people and even risks her life for them. These are the real traits of a great ruler! You are just saying this shit because you will never be like her!"

He starts laughing uncontrollably. "Me? Jealous of her? I am beautiful! I am the prince of this beautiful land! I have everything I want!"

"Then where's your princess?"

His smiles fade away and he scowls.

"I know where most of them are: living with Chaperomon and having fun with her. Do you know why? Because she is more valuable than you despite the look, while you are just a spoiled asshole! This alone is proof that she can give a better ending to this kingdom, something you and your 'beauty' are incapable of! You suck!"

Chaperomon opens her mouth, impressed. "You… You are right! Regardless of how I look, I'm a way better person than that stupid golden pea! I don't need to be beautiful for that!" She points at him. "Give me the throne, now!"

He grunts. "Not even in your dreams. Enjoy your food, Fangmon!" He turns around as he dramatically throws his mantle to the side and runs towards his royal room

Two Fangmon pounce on Lua, but Chaperomon quickly draws pocket knives, one from her dress and two stocked on her shoes. "Crimson Ripper!" She starts moving around like in a wild dance, slashing the wolves with the blades.

Lua looks impressed. "What the heck? You're actually quite strong, you know?"

She grins. "It's easier when there are people actually counting on me, believing in me, and fighting with me! I don't want to disappoint them!" She slashes one of the wolves, opening a big wound. "What a big injury you have! Is that to die faster?" she says, ending with a stab that finishes off the creature. "Lua, here's an opening for you! Don't let that idiot get away!"

The bunny nods and quickly jumps away. One of the Fangmon tries to bite her, but the doll kicks them down. She runs towards Prince Mamemon and shoots icicles in front of him, which makes him flinch.

He turns around, looking very angry. "Do you want to fight me that badly? Fine! I'll put an end to your miserable life myself!" He spreads his mantle open. "Purple Rain!"

A barrage of purple arrowheads is launched at her. She dodges it, but the objects keep following her until it hits her square. The impact makes her slide through the floor. She dizzily raises her head, just to see the prince walking towards her with his annoying smile, spreading his mantle open again.

"You may have willpower, but we are still at very different levels. Goodbye-"

Suddenly, a lot of Tyumon jump on him and bite him, making him lose balance. He starts flailing around, until they all feel the floor trembling. The prince smiles in excitement. "It's over for you all! The Rook Chessmon are coming!"

Lua gasps. But not because of what the prince said. Far behind him, she sees that all the Fangmon are gone, while Chaperomon stands on one leg, since the other leg and one arm are detached. She looks very serious, but then opens a big grin again, when the data of the destroyed wolves starts revolving around her, encasing her in bright light.

Many questions pop on Komet's head while they fight Infected Zanmetsumon. "Can Prince Mamemon create the Corrosion Virus? Can he alter it? Is his title of 'Infected exterminator' related to his ability to intentionally infect others? Are there Angels involved in this?" She quickly shakes her head to clear her mind. After all, she is not gonna get the answers if they die in the arena.

She gets her focus back to the battle. Their plan was going quite well in the beginning, with Sonne wielding Minervamon's sword and disarming two out of the four swords the enemy held. But it has changed its tactics, and it doesn't help that an Infected Perfect-level is as strong as an Ultimate.

"Gokumon-Shibari!"

"Purifying Roar!"

Sonne counters Zanmetsumon's roaring attack with his own roaring attack. The clash of both attacks causes an explosion in the middle.

"Sanrei Danreizan!" The Infected charges violently at Sonne and tries to grapple him to combo with the three swords, but the lion parries the attack and jumps away, standing next to Komet.

He pants. "I do not see signs of exhaustion in our opponent. We cannot allow this to take much longer"

She grits her teeth. "That's Corrosion Virus for ya. But don't worry, I have a plan!"

"How much time is required for you to recover from the injuries after said plan?"

"Oh wow, so funny Sonne"

"Thanks. This was only possible due to my commander-friend's expertise in creating high risk plans in moments like this, which hardly goes without side effects"

She groans in defeat. "I get it, okay? I promise I'll be fine! It just needs to be well timed!"

He lets out a disapproval grunt, but he knows he can't do much about it. He takes Komet in his arms as she quickly tells him the plan, while the enemy launches more slash waves. Then, he positions himself again and puts Komet right under him, getting ready to attack.

"Gokumon-Shibari!"

"Purifying Roar!"

Another explosion. Then, the Infected charges again. But this time Sonne quickly hands Minervamon's sword to Komet and grabs the arms Zanmetsumon is holding swords. The creature grapples him with the other pair of arms and opens the mouth on its torso, readying another attack.

"Eat this!" With a lot of struggle, Komet lifts the sword and thrusts it into the open mouth.

Zanmetsumon screams in pain and releases Sonne, who immediately cloaks his legs and arms in flames. "Crimson Lion Dance!" And with multiple fiery kicks and punches, he finally puts an end in the Infected monster.

Komet quickly collects the infected data that was about to scatter away. "That was tough. Now we need to reach Lua-"

She is interrupted by the tremors on the floor. They look towards the source and see four Rook Chessmon heading towards the castle. "Crap! This is horrible! Sonne, we need to reach the castle! Lua is probably there and in great danger!"

Sonne picks her up and places her on his back, and bolts towards the castle. "May I ask about the severity of the problem?"

"They are something like the last resource when Prince Mamemon is in danger. He bragged a lot about his defense systems to me"

"Is it castling then?"

Komet rolls her eyes. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's the idea behind it"

He chuckles, and quickly returns to his serious face. Fortunately the paths are mostly empty, since most Digimon are hiding in their houses. He runs through alleys to not get noticed by the Chessmon Guard, and shortly after, they arrive in the castle at the same time as the Rook Chessmon.

Fearing that they might be late, Sonne uses the rest of his stamina to climb the castle to get to the prince's room, which is the topmost one. He crashes the window open and gets in. Ahead of him, he sees a group of Digimon - Lua's squad - arriving at the same time, and at his top, the rook monster ripping part of the ceiling open.

"Chessmon Guard, it's checkmate! The prince is in my hands, and one false step will make him meet his end!"

Everyone looks towards the voice. They see a tall blond woman with her face covered, dressed in a long, fancy fur coat and wearing crystal boots with very sharp heels. She rests one of her feet on Prince Mamemon's face. A lot of gray rats surround her. Lua stands next to this Digimon - who is almost double her size - with her arms crossed and smiling confidently.

"All hail your new ruler, Cendrillmon!" says Lua

To everyone's surprise and shock, the prince is still awake, drooling while gazing admiringly at Cendrillmon. "Yeeeaaaahhh…! All hail my new princess…!"

Lua scowls and kicks his head. "Shut up, she is not your princess, you piece of shit!"

Komet drops from Sonne and looks around, and sees that all Chessmon really stopped moving, meaning that the battle is over. She walks towards Lua, who runs towards her and hugs her tight. "Lua! It's finally over! You did it!"

The bunny rubs her face on her. "Three days away is too much for me! But at least this time I knew you were, well, 'fine'!" Then she starts crying, in which Komet responds with a nervous smile and then a rub on her back.

"Oh, by the way!" continues Lua, not crying anymore. "I used you as an inspiration to make them fight back against the prince! I told them stories of our journey and how you handled them, and it worked! I'm so proud of you for being yourself, you are an amazing person!" She hugs her tight again.

Komet feels shy by the compliment. "O-oh, c'mon! Don't forget that it's thanks to you and Sonne that I changed for the better and could accomplish those things! Without you two by my side and scolding me, I wouldn't get here, you know? Besides, it's thanks to you that they fought back and won, right? You did amazing, Lua!"

She opens a big smile, very happy for the compliment. Then Sonne approaches and greets her, which makes her immediately start talking about his new and bigger form. Then, they turn their attention to Cendrillmon. "So, who's that?" Komet asks.

"Do you remember the red hood girl that attacked us three days ago? It's her, but evolved!" Lua proceeds to explain Chaperomon's motivation. She nods, and then they start paying attention to the argument that has just started.

"Cendrillmon, please, marry me! You're so amazing that I wouldn't dare leave you alone ever!" says Prince Mamemon

"Now you are interested, huh? Where was all that love when we were friends, before you evolved to this clown that you are now? We were almost more than friends, but you abandoned me!" says Cendrillmon, sounding very angry

"But you were so ugly back then! Wasn't Scrivale supposed to be the place where we get happy endings? A ragged squirrel wouldn't give me that! The other Mamemon were already making fun of me just because we were friends, so I had to discard you!"

"You-!" She slowly presses her bladed shoe against his face

"W-WAIT! B-but now it's different! L-Listen, we can go back like the old days! You are so beautiful now! We can complement each other's beauty, rule this place together and be happy for the rest of our lives!"

"Do you really think you are making yourself look better?"

Komet carefully approaches them. "Ahm, excuse me, can I ask him something before you skewer him?"

"Of course! You are also welcome to kill this idiot yourself if you feel like it"

She looks at the prince and scowls. "You are finally in your place, huh? Now tell me: how and why the hell do you have a weapon that infects someone with the Corrosion Virus? Did you make that yourself?"

Prince Mamemon closes his eyes and doesn't answer.

She growls and punches him in the face. "Answer me!"

"OUCH! How dare you do this to me? Know your place!"

"My gods! Are you that oblivious?" She readies another punch, but Cendrillmon motions her to wait.

"If you spill the beans, I might give you the chance to stay by my side for the rest of our lives~"

He opens a big and hopeful smile, but then he gets nervous. "Y-you know, it's not that simple… Give me a kiss and I'll tell you everything!"

She squeezes her sharp shoe on his body. "I don't think you are in the position to make demands!"

"Aaaah! Aaah! Okay! Uuuhh…" He pokes his fingers with one another. "If… If it wasn't for 'that', I… I would never awake my royal blood and claim the right to rule over Scrivale. It was the only way I could make myself and this place amazing and become a living legend!"

"Thus you admit that 'The Infected Slayer' is nothing but a forgery" says Sonne

"H-hey! I could finally be happy, okay? Also, people really felt safe inside the Princedom of Fabales, something that the old ruler didn't fully accomplish!"

"What is 'that' that you needed to do for your dreams to come true?" asks Komet

"A… A deal"

"What kind of deal? With who?"

Prince Mamemon starts sweating. He looks at both sides, as if he is trying to find someone. Then he looks up and sees Cendrillmon 'threatening' to kiss him, and immediately gives a passionate smile. "You sure make it harder for me to keep secrets, haha! For that kiss, I tell you everything! I don't do anything with Corrosion Virus, I only test the things done by-"

A purple needle zips through everyone and pierces the prince, disintegrating after the hit. He gasps and starts choking. "I-It is…" His eyes move up until it's fully white, his body mutates, growing some spikes on it and a purple aura starts to form around him.

Everyone gasps in shock. Komet quickly turns towards the direction the needle came from. She sees a yellow light peeking in the dark corner. It feels very familiar. "This can't be…!" She runs towards the creature, and sees a bit of the outline of its body. The monster fires small organic missiles at her, but Lua grabs her in time and rolls out of the way. The missiles explode on the floor.

"What the heck? What are you thinking, running off like that?" asks Lua

The lass grits her teeth. She quickly gets up and goes around the corner, but she sees no one anymore, despite the corridor being too long for someone to be gone that quickly. She punches the air in frustration. "Dammit!"

Lua appears behind her and looks around confused, only seeing her frustrated friend. She takes her by her hand and goes back to the main hall, where Prince Mamemon screams uncontrollably and foams from his mouth.

"He has lost all sense of self, he is now an Infected" says Sonne, shaking his head. "Taking more information from him is no longer possible, and he is beyond saving. We should end this before things get out of control!"

"I'll take care of this! Everyone, move away!" Cendrillmon summons a crystal grandfather clock and aims the bottom of it at him. "Prism Date Break!"

A giant laser beam is fired point blank at him. The beam stops, but the Infected prince still resists, although very weakened.

"One tiny part of me really feels bad for this. After all, your sad story will end with a sad ending. Too bad that I mostly don't care about this anymore! Marriage Strike!" She skewers through the golden pea directly into his corroding Digicore, finally putting a definitive end on the tyrannical prince.

"Komet!" calls Sonne, pointing at the infected data

She gets her attention back to what happened, nods, and quickly captures it, sending it to Anpu. After that, silence. Everything is over, but instead of celebrating, they are all pensive with what just happened. Lua's squad runs up to Cendrillmon and starts talking about her new form and the two Infecteds that suddenly appeared, one of them being the prince himself.

Komet stares back at the corridor, pensive and nervous. Many more questions arise in her mind. She lets out a short sigh in worry. Sonne and Lua approach her.

"What's wrong? You suddenly started acting all weird and careless!" says Lua

She shakes her head, looking down. "I… I'm sure I saw him…"

"Who?"

"Dr. Dataniu"

"That creepy tin can from Loch Pless? Are you sure?"

She nods.

"Do you believe he is involved in any way with Prince Mamemon?" asks Sonne

She groans. "I already have my head full of questions because of Prince Mamemon's 'bioweapon' or whatever you wanna call it. This only adds a new layer of questions…" She shakes head. "I need some time… My head hurts…" She walks away from the group, heading towards the royal bedroom.

Sonne and Lua look at Komet leaving, then look at each other in worry.

"I believe the time spend with Prince Mamemon exhausted her mind" says Sonne

"Ugh, this is the second time she suddenly runs off to try to catch that stupid tin can! He really did make a strong impression on her, huh?"

"He is malicious despite actively denying that fact. His interaction with her was also… Unhinged. But aside from that fact, there is one crucial similarity between these two events where Dr. Dataniu was present, if we take his presence here for certain"

"Uhh… That we fought Infected on both days- Wait, are you saying…"

He nods.

Cendrillmon approaches them. "Hey, what's up with that somber mood? You are all free now, it's time to celebrate! Where is your ex-princess friend?"

"She is taking some time. She thinks she saw the creepy guy who infected Prince Mamemon, and that guy is very bad news to her" says Lua

"Who?"

"Dr. Dataniu"

"I don't know that name. What Digimon is he?"

"He is… Uuh… We don't know his species, but…" She proceeds to explain his physical appearance.

Cendrillmon gasps. "That's a Nanomon! Could he be the same Nanomon who started talking to Mamemon before he suddenly evolved?"

"Did that happen? When?"

"I-TOLD-YOU THE STORY! You weren't paying attention after all, were you?"

Lua smiles nervously. "H-hey, m-maybe I forgot a bit of it! Can you refresh my mind?"

"No" she huffs

Sonne sighs loudly, making sure to let Lua know that he is disappointed but not surprised. "Excuse me, madam Cendrillmon. Whenever possible, could you share said story with my friend-commander Komet? I believe she will find answers and important clues from it, since Dr. Dataniu's actions present great danger to many places"

"Sure thing!"

"So, what are you gonna do now?" asks Lua

Cendrillmon gets the crown from the floor. "I'll crown myself as the next ruler of 'Fabales', since I dethroned the previous ruler. With that, Chessmon Guard will officially respond to me. Then I'll enslave all those Mamemon for some time to make them pay for everything they did with the poor citizens"

"Way to go!"

"As long as it is a fair punishment" says Sonne

"If you need anything, you are welcome to enter and leave the castle as you please! You can also talk to me whenever you want! I'll be busy now preparing the celebration" Cendrillmon waves and leaves.

Sonne and Lua look at each other. "From my understanding of the situation, it is possible that the monster Prince Mamemon had a deal with is Dr. Dataniu. We are already aware of his dubious ethic regarding his researches" says Sonne

"Knowing that the asshole prince was a nobody that suddenly became a prince, I wouldn't be surprised that he sold his soul to Dataniu to… What did he say? 'Activate his royal blood'? What kind of idiot believes this is a thing?" She shakes her head. "You know what? Let's talk about that when Komet comes back, before we get a headache too!"

The coronation happens. Cendrillmon is officially the new queen, and the first thing she does is to rename the Princedom of Fabales back to Kingdom of Scrivale. She also decorates Lua and her squad, gifting the bunny with Minervamon's sword and shield for showing initiative and bravery like her late friend. Lua gives the sword and shield to Komet, since the lass was the inspiration for her and had already fought with it.

Komet stores the weapon and the shield in her smartwatch. Then, she thinks about the battle. "I used a normal shield this time, and despite defending from very strong attacks, I still didn't feel any pain in that arm…" She pinches her left arm and confirms that she feels no pain. "I wonder why… Hopefully I'm not malfunctioning or anything"

A day passes, and Team Twilight is having breakfast with the queen. She tells the team everything about Prince Mamemon's interaction with the suspicious Nanomon.

Komet shakes her head. "This only makes me even more convinced that it was Dr. Dataniu… What a tragedy for Prince Mamemon though… A bullied guy that made a pact with the devil to find happiness…"

"A fool with ambitions is worse than a nobody" says Sonne

"Are you really feeling bad for that crook?" asks Lua, in shock

"Not for him, it's just…" She sighs. "I hated him, but I believe things could have gone differently if he had committed to be Chaperomon's friend. Unfortunately Mamemon took the worst path possible to seek his weird ambitions and died by the hands of who he believed was his savior. He thought he was the ruler, but in the end, he was just another pawn"

"Hihi, chess pun!"

Komet rolls her eyes. "I feel a bit bad for being happy that he is dead now. But hey, he was so horrible that I'd spend some time unloading a handful of swear words at him. And probably some punches and kicks too". She gulps her coffee and pours more on her mug. "Now my biggest concern is with Dr. Dataniu… What is he doing with the Corrosion Virus? What is his goal? Is he actually aware of the existence of… Uh…" She gets closer to Sonne and Lua and whispers. "...of my world? I can't forget our interaction in Loch Pless… What if he is the creator of the Virus?"

"It is confirmed that the Corrosion Virus comes from your world" says Sonne

She sighs. "I forgot about that. But still, even if we stop the source of the Virus, that doesn't mean the mad scientist will stop producing it!" She frowns. "What if the Angels still decide to go after my world because of that? We need to find him and stop him!"

"This topic is causing a great amount of stress on you. Your worries are valid, but unfortunately finding Dr. Dataniu cannot be our priority yet. For this case, I suggest informing Anpu of your thoughts. Do not forget about our allies"

"You're right… Maybe instead I should be grateful for being lucky enough to find out that this bastard can be a stone in my shoes, and hope he never finds a way to my world"

"Or maybe he won't be our problem at all!" says Lua. "Who knows, maybe Anpu will send someone to hunt the tin can, and then 'problem solved'!"

She nods and eats a slice of bread. She turns to Cendrillmon. "So, queen Cendrillmon, about Quettas… Is it true that the place is in lockdown right now?"

Cendrillmon nods. "Cherubimon decreed himself that the place is off-limits. All the train stations from the Central Area that lead to Quettas, including the one in Scrivale, were shut down due to this. The metropolis is currently heavily guarded with one of the strongest forces from this world. He didn't provide us any reason for that. Not that I care. Why?"

"Well… I really need to get to a place called 'Central Network Palace', and… Uuhh…" She scratches her head, looking nervous. "It would be the best if the Angels don't know that"

"Oh, then I have the perfect solution for you!" She turns to one of her rat friends. "Can you fetch Floramon?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The little monster quickly disappears from their sight, and returns with Floramon a bit after.

"Yes?" asks the flower

Cendrillmon points at the team and then at Floramon.

"Ah! Well, we would like to know the way to enter Quettas without getting caught" says Komet

"Oh! I have a friend that can help! Since you helped me and have a fighting spirit, she will accept to help you for sure! She is part of a very strong group that actually started in Quettas, so they know everything about that city, from navigation to hiding spots. I love that group!"

"That's nice! Where can we find her?"

Floramon frowns. "That's the hardest part. She doesn't ever stay in the same place, all I know is that she never leaves the Central Area. I'm sorry, I wish I could be more helpful!"

Cendrillmon lifts one finger, and a small bird doll lands on it. "Don't worry about this, I can send my familiars to look for her. Just tell me the name and the message"

She smiles and tells her both information. The queen nods, walks towards the window and creates more of the bird familiars, who fly away in their quest to find the Digimon. Then, she returns to the table. "This may take some time, so I ask that you be patient"

"It's not like we have another choice" says Lua, shrugging.

After finishing breakfast, Team Twilight goes to the bedroom. Komet calls Anpu and tells him about the situation in Quettas and about everything that is in her mind related to Dr. Dataniu, including their first encounter in Loch Pless.

Anpu grits his teeth. "Dr. Dataniu, the Nanomon, you say… That was Bokomon's friend in the academy. I believe he mentioned about him to you"

Sonne closes his eyes to recall that day. "I remember it. The conversation took place in your pyramid, after we escorted Professor Bokomon to make some adjustments to Komet's smartwatch. He mentioned that he was expelled for lack of ethics in his researches"

"Great, an old crazy friend" huffs Komet

"And to think you encountered him twice… But don't worry about him, focus on your mission to return to the Human World. You're very close to it, after all. You can leave Dr. Dataniu to me and Bokomon. Perhaps Rasielmon can help too. After all, if he is really making use of the Corrosion Virus and infecting others… I don't need to say what the Angel Army will do with him, do I?" says Anpu

She nods. "Thank you, this really lifts some weight from my shoulders"

"Glad to help. Just a reminder, call me before you head to Central Network Palace, so that I can get everything ready to send you back to your world. I wish you luck" he waves, and his hologram disappears.

Lua looks at the lass with a big smile. "See? Dataniu is a criminal for that, and he'll probably be captured! So don't think too much about it, okay? You don't need another headache"

"Hopefully, yeah. But it still infuriates me that he has the ability to find a cure for the Corrosion Virus, but instead he chooses to play with it" She shakes her head and then notices that Sonne looks concerned. "Sonne? What's wrong?"

"It occurred to me that we might face Cherubimon, one of the Three Archangels". He sighs. "How is my body or my mind going to react upon meeting with my real creators? I am afraid of what might happen…" He lowers his head.

Komet stretches her arms up to reach the Flaremon's head and pets it. "Nothing will happen, because like I said, you are yourself, you have your feelings and morals, regardless of who gave birth to you"

"True, but this does not change the fact that I am still a Digimon. The same way you could implement functions in me, they could have added a protected line of codes during my creation that can be activated by their methods in case of an error, and format me back to my original state"

"Don't say that! Sure, you kinda function like programs, but you are more than that. Like I said, I'm a firm believer that you have a soul, the essence that stores the spiritual part of you, and if any code tries to force you to do anything, your soul will fight back. Our bond will remind you of who you are and break you from any forced command"

"I… I really hope this is the case. I do not want to be one of them. I do not want to hurt and abandon my friends"

"You won't, bigger puss! You know why? Because even if your soul fails, I'll smack you in the face and get your soul to work again!" Lua says, giving a thumbs up

"We will keep an eye on you and let you know if your behavior gets weird. I hope that makes you calmer!"

Sonne smiles. "Thank you. I am very grateful for having such friends"

Komet and Lua hug Sonne, who easily hug both at the same time.

Two days pass. Cendrillmon informs the team that they have located the Digimon, and that she told a time and a place where they should meet. "I could provide you with a safe transportation method, but Sonne is a bit too big for that"

"Oh, I can solve this problem!" Komet accesses the storage from her smartwatch and touches Sonne. He shines bright, and after around 40 seconds, he reverts to Firamon. A minimalist icon of a Flaremon's head appears on the screen.

"That took so long! Better update your internet plan, Komet!" says Lua

"That only shows how much bigger in memory a Perfect is compared to an Adult. That means I need to think carefully about when uploading or downloading your evolutions. It looks very unviable during a battle"

"How are your wings, big puss?"

Sonne moves his wings. "Healed"

"Nice! Big puss can finally fly again! Hooray!"

Cendrillmon looks impressed. "That's a nice ability right there, and also scary. Could you force me to devolve too?"

"Oh, no! I can only do that with my friends, and I can't do it without their consent, so don't worry!" says Komet

"I understand. So, enjoy your last day in Scrivale. Tomorrow you are heading to Quettas!"

Komet smiles, but at the same time she feels very nervous. "Finally"